Agra – Perhaps you have ever heard about the ‘Ramayana of Thali’ . It is a 150 year old folk art of acting and singing performed by the farmers of Uttar Pradesh in Braj language. It was very popular in Agra, Mathura, Etah, and Aligarh. Singers interpret the stories of the epics in their own way, not following the popular view. There are about 40 to 50 groups in Etah Distt of UP who perform the Thali ki Ramayana. In the Ramayana of Thali, the lead singer is accompanied by the manjira (a pair of cymbals), the dholak (a two-headed drum), the chimta (a pair of tongs), the gagri or the ghar (a metal or earthen pot of water).